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<title>let's believe in happy endings by Zofiecfield</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116666">let's believe in happy endings</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zofiecfield/pseuds/Zofiecfield'>Zofiecfield</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Wynonna Earp (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Feelings, Fluff, One Shot, Spoilers, post 4x05, well let's say fluff-adjacent</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:35:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,230</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116666</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zofiecfield/pseuds/Zofiecfield</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Family content around the fire is almost too precious to bear.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Waverly Earp &amp; Nicole Haught, Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, Wynonna Earp &amp; Nicole Haught</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>189</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>let's believe in happy endings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When the world stops churning, at least for a brief moment, they wrap themselves tightly and gather around the fire outside the homestead. Gather, as a family, to sit and savor the time for which they have sacrificed so dearly. Laughter and tired contentment, and Waverly running a slow thumb over her knuckles, Nicole’s heart stumbles. She loves this moment, wants this moment to last and last and last. Tears prick at her eyes, unbidden, and the wanting is too sharp now, pulling her out of the moment and threatening to overwhelm her entirely.</p><p>She mumbles an excuse and forces a smile and a squeeze of a hand, grateful for the dim firelight as she slips away.</p><p>Propped against the refrigerator door, forehead pressed hard to the cool plastic of the freezer, deep steadying breaths. She realizes she has forgotten what she’s come for. Well, pretended to come for. No matter. Breathe, ground your feet. She could sleep here, for a moment, and wake strong enough to endure the bittersweet beauty of another moment.</p><p>Breathe. Ground your feet. Breathe.</p><p>“Hiya, buddy,” Wynonna chirps, as she ducks and squeezes under Nicole’s arm, lifting the next case of beer from the shelf. Nicole startles, falling hard back into consciousness, gone only a moment but disoriented and groggy nonetheless. Crouched, Wynonna does an awkward half turn to shoot Nicole a wry smile over her shoulder, enjoying her own absurdity. “Not cold enough outside for you?”</p><p>Nicole offers a weak laugh, and steps back, releasing Wynonna and closing the fridge door. She opens her mouth to offer a lie, but the days of lying to Wynonna seem to have passed.</p><p>Wynonna hands her a drink. “Spill your guts, Haught.”</p><p>Nicole crumples into a kitchen chair, too tired to don her mask again, too tired to hold back.</p><p>“Fuck.”  The fear and hurt and sorrow that had come as a droplet last time they’d spoken like this, this time gush out, dam decimated.</p><p>“Wynonna, if I marry her, if I stay...” She drops her head into her hands and takes a shuttering breath. “What if, no matter how good her heart, she can’t forgive what I’ve done? What if, years from now, she still looks at me and resents me for the hell I've put her through? What if she never truly trusts me again and hates herself for it? She’s so patient, compassionate to a fault, and she’ll stand by, I know, but to what end?</p><p>I don’t want to go, but what if this lingers on and she suffers, what if she can’t bear to end it as the doubt eats her alive?</p><p>I was weak but I can be the strong one now, end this before she ties herself to me, end this before I fail her again.” She drags the beanie off her head and shakes loose her hair, still damp and smelling like holy sea.</p><p>“She’s asking for forever, but she’s asking the woman I used to be, whole and good and steady, a stranger now. How can I say yes in good conscience and commit her to this?” She says the last word with disappointment and disgust, gesturing openly at her whole self.</p><p>Wynonna opens her mouth to respond, but pauses at the start, her eyes sliding over Nicole’s shoulder.</p><p>“I think that question is for me,” Waverly says softly from the doorway. She enters the kitchen, digs on the top shelf for dusty bag of stale vegan marshmallows, and hands them to Wynonna with a nod towards the door. Wynonna kisses her on the forehead, and, on second thought, kisses Nicole on the forehead too. She leaves without another word.</p><p>In the distance, they can hear the laughter from family, content around the fire, as the door swings shut behind her.</p><p>Waverly slides onto the table and places her feet on the chair, one on either side of Nicole’s hips. The movement is slow enough to keep Nicole’s nervous system from bolting, and sure enough to make clear there is no room for escape. This discussion happens here and now, no more delay.</p><p>Nicole’s heart climbs in her chest, pounding and demanding motion. It screams at her to flee.</p><p>Then Waverly leans forward and presses her forehead to Nicole’s. The heart slows to listen, intrigued.</p><p>Eyes shut, only voice and point of heavy contact. Freeze the moment and weigh it down, make it matter.</p><p>“You set the world on fire to keep me,” Waverly starts.</p><p>Nicole inhales, protest rallied on her lips already, but Waverly kisses her lightly and stills them.</p><p>“You have been reckless, sold your soul and damned the consequences. But, Love, so have I. I have burned down entire realities to keep you, given everything that was mine to give, begged and stole to give what was not mine too. And, no matter the risk and pain it wrought, I would do it again and again. There is nothing I wouldn’t give for you and for this family.”</p><p>She threads her fingers through Nicole’s hair and comes to cradle at the nape of her neck. She tips her chin slightly, shifting to speak the next words against Nicole's forehead.</p><p>“Nicole Haught, this is what we do, this is what we’ve done and what we will always do. When we trust each other, when we walk side by side into war, this is what we have agreed to. Sacrifice and risk and sorrow, but never regret, never resentment. I think it’s time we stop fighting this particular fight, stop pushing back against who and what this family is. Who and what we are.</p><p>I am, and have been, yours. Nothing that has tried to take me from you has stood a flipping chance. You wouldn’t let it and neither would I.” She shifts her weight back, and gently lifts Nicole’s face to hers again. “And, unless I’m sorely mistaken, Nicole Haught, you’re mine.”</p><p>Eyes met now, Nicole nods, quick and pleading. She swallows hard.</p><p>“And nothing, no one, no force this world or others can conjure, will take you from me. I won’t let it and neither will you.</p><p>I trust you, implicitly. Do you trust me?”</p><p>Another nod. One sob to hold them back, but the tears win out.</p><p>“Then I think it’s time we made it official, don’t you? I think I’m done waiting, done standing by as the world tests this bond.”</p><p>Nicole buries her face against Waverly’s chest, but Waverly takes no mercy. She guides Nicole’s face back up to hers.</p><p>“Nicole Rayleigh Haught, for the last time, will you please marry me?”</p><p>Nicole sobs a yes and pulls Waverly onto her lap, and they are laughing and crying and air is forgotten.</p><p> </p><p>Later, with faces dry and hearts approximating a stable rhythm, they walk to the fire hand in hand.</p><p>Wynonna sees them first, smiles a knowing smile and nudges Doc.</p><p>Jeremy sees them second, and, mouth full of marshmallow, leaps to his feet, cheering. “I got ordained two years ago, just in case! Let’s do this!”</p><p>Everyone laughs, and Nedley pulls him back into his seat. “Give them a moment, son. And anyway, everyone knows that job is mine.”</p><p> </p><p>The evening passes, sweet and light. Waverly Earp by her side, thumb drifting over knuckles and the fire warm, Nicole loves this moment and lets it last and last and last.</p>
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